What Is Regret?

Posted on 2012 May 11, Friday by JamesIsIn

Go read this excellent opinion piece concerning humility and regret.  You will be better for it.

(Thanks, Barry, for bringing this to my attention.)

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Protected: Protest Song 20111217

Posted on 2012 April 1, Sunday by JamesIsIn

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The Source of Bertrand Russell’s Famous Tea Pot Argument

Posted on 2012 March 7, Wednesday by JamesIsIn

I really like Bertrand Russell and so should you.  He’s one of the last great intellectuals.  Sure he’s British but he’d hold his own in any circle of American pragmatism.  He’s got brainy gumption and moxy.

Probably he is most famous for his tea pot argument.  Essentially it stakes out the notion that a lack of evidence disproving something cannot be taken as sufficient cause to believe in the un-disproved whatever-it-is.

Finally, this argument appears in a paper Russell wrote on commission from Illustrated magazine (1952).  This paper was never actually published by the magazine, but it is probably available in a collection somewhere.  (This one looks like a good collection but I don’t see the article in question.)

You can find the text here and here (the second link provides a couple of interesting footnotes).

It’s a short article and well worth reading.  I hope you enjoy Russell too.

Go get ‘em.

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Corporations Are NOT People

Posted on 2012 March 5, Monday by JamesIsIn

The author, Jeffrey D Clements, of the new book “Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It” was recently on the radio (KUOW‘s Weekday) talking about his ideas on corporate personhood and the proposed constitutional amendment called the People’s Rights Amendment.

You can listen to the full half hour interview on Soundcloud.

Jeffrey Clements: “Corporations Are Not People” (Visit or Download)

You can read the full text of the proposed amendment here.

Those who know me well know that I am very concerned by the current state of afairs surrounding corporate personhood.  This discussion (linked above) and his book (which I added to my Amazon —>wishlist<— hello) should help move your understanding of why this issue is of critical importance today.

Have fun with that.

 

 

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Malachi

Posted on 2012 January 27, Friday by JamesIsIn

My friend T Malachi Dunworth posts his photography here.  He’s a musician and photographer friend of mine currently living in San Francisco.  There are some pretty cool pictures there so check it out.

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They Came in Pieces

Posted on 2012 January 27, Friday by JamesIsIn

They Came in Pieces [19]

  1. Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard — California Zephyr [from "One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Music from Kerouac's Big Sur"]
  2. Wilco — Walken [from "Sky Blue Sky"]
  3. Raconteurs — Steady as She Goes [from "Broken Boy Soldiers"]
  4. Bigott — I’m Little Retarded [from "This Is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship"]
  5. White Stripes — I’m Lonely (but I Ain’t that Lonely Yet) [from "Get Behind Me Satan"]
  6. Dan Auerbach — Mean Monsoon [from “Keep It Hid“]
  7. Wilco — Jesus, Etc [from "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"]
  8. Flat Duo Jets — You Only Live Twice [from "Safari"]
  9. Paul Benoit — Riptide [from "Combustible"]
  10. Keziah Jones — Free Your Soul [from "Blufunk Is a Fact!"]
  11. Galactic — Go Go [from "Coolin' Off"]
  12. Dead Weather — Rocking Horse [from "Horehound"]
  13. Blackouts — Everglades [from "History in Reverse"]
  14. Wilco — I’m a Wheel [from "A Ghost Is Born"]
  15. Jelly Rollers — Pretty Things [from "Jelly Rollers"]
  16. Ray LaMontagne — How Come [from "Trouble"]
  17. Galactic — Uptown Odyssey [from "Ruckus"]
  18. Rednex — McKenzie Brothers [from "Sex & Violins"]
  19. Tom Jones — Feels Like Music [from "24 Hours"]

I just created this CD for my brother in essence because he missed some of this music over the last several years.  This is my attempt to introduce him to some of these musicians and their music.  I had to skip a lot but I suppose that means there’ll have to be a sequel.

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FDR Still Has Good Things to Say to America

Posted on 2012 January 17, Tuesday by JamesIsIn

I am reading a great book on the history of wealth over the four most recent world-economic powers: the United States, Great Britain, the Dutch, and the Spanish.  Great book.  It’s called Wealth and Democracy (A Political History of the American Rich) and it can be had at Amazon easily enough.

It contains some compelling quotations one of which I’d like to share here.  This is FDR apparently in 1935 (p 213).

The transmission from generation to generation of great fortunes by will, inheritance or gift is not consistent with the ideals and sentiments of the American people.  Great accumulations of wealth cannot be justified on the basis of personal or family security.  Such inherited economic power is as inconsistent with the ideals of this generation as inherited political power was inconsistent with the ideals of the generation which established our government.

I couldn’t agree more.  If we are going to praise the individual for creating wealth then every individual should begin as near to an even playing field as possible.

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The Number Seven

Posted on 2012 January 3, Tuesday by JamesIsIn

This unmanipulated photograph (7482) was shot out at Tiger Mountain on 29 April 2007.

The Number Seven

The Number Seven

The light source is a three red LED number seven.

I look forward to your questions, comments, and criticisms.

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Down in the Light

Posted on 2012 January 3, Tuesday by JamesIsIn

This unmanipulated photograph (9083) was shot in my Ballard studio on 21 October 2006.

Down in the Light

Down in the Light

All of the available light is from a projected film still.

This was shot with my friend, Charlie’s, Nikon.  No post-processing work was done except that which was necessary to post the image from raw data.

(Originally posted 2 May 2007 over at UseFilm.)

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Hills and Valleys

Posted on 2012 January 3, Tuesday by JamesIsIn

This unmanipulated photograph (1307) was shot in our new SAM sculpture park on 11 June 2007.

Hills and Valleys

Hills and Valleys

What is fascinating here is the optical illusion created by my chosen perspective.

The photograph has been rotated 180 degrees.  In so doing the edge of metal and its shadow (originally cast downward) are reversed and the shadow transforms into a deep valley visually.  (The thumbnail version also fails to deliver the illusion, presumably because you cannot see into the details which evoke the valley.)

Thanks for taking an interest in my photographs.

(Originally posted 22 July 2007.  You can see the upright version over at UseFilm.)

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